Research and Projects

Mapping Dementia Services in the South West

Who is involved?

Background

People with dementia and their carers frequently fail to access care and support in a timely fashion, and, when they do access care, the varying components of care are often fragmented and poorly coordinated. As a result, dementia patients' and their carers' experiences of care are less than optimal, outcomes are worse and care costs are greater than necessary.

Improving the availability, accessibility and integration of care has potential to improve the experience of care for people with dementia and their carers and to improve health outcomes, such as prolonging independent living, reducing hospital admissions and lengths of inpatient stay.

Project aims

In a collaborative research project with Devon Partnership NHS Trust and the University of Exeter Medical School, this project will map current service provision for people with dementia and their carers in the South West of England, to inform future service developments.

Our objectives are:

To identify and map health careservices (both statutory and non-statutory) for people with dementia and their carers in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

To develop a map of dementia outcomes in the South West and to identify areas of service need, which may be used to evaluate the impact of future developments in dementia services.

To better understand the processes of care, particularly the nature of care provided and the accessibility of and barriers to the integration of care.